Inspired by the Project Reality modification for Battlefield 2, the game will place its players in a realistic environment and encourage them to work together. Doing so tends to be an excellent way to build an immersive and visceral combat atmosphere. To those familiar with PC shooters, the best way to describe this would be as a middle ground between the Battlefield and Arma series.

Built from the ground up in the Unreal Engine 4, Squad pits teams of up to 50 players against each other in white knuckle modern day combined-arms combat scenarios, with both conventional and unconventional forces. The players dictate how the scenarios unfold with base-building and interactive environments, intuitive squad command and management tools and large-scale warfare where strategy and leadership are just as important as a quick trigger finger.

The battlefield of Squad is built around organized teams using both the environment and the assets available within the ga6me to wage a tactical battle against an opposing team. From role organization to base building to vehicle mechanics, teamwork amplifies the effectiveness of the tools at your disposal. Supported by intuitive positional VOIP and navigation systems players will be able to maintain situational awareness and seamlessly interact with others. Dedicated chain of command channels and localized voice will be an effective tool for communication and organization.

Offworld Industries announced the launch of Modding 2.0, the next generation of tools built to enhance the way modders share their work with the Squad community.

Players who want to see what the Squad community is capable of can download the tactical shooter for free this weekend on Steam starting 10 a.m. PDT Friday, July 26 - 1 p.m. PDT Sunday, July 28. Offworld Industries also revealed the Canadian Armed Forces, a faction that originally started as a mod, as the first official free DLC coming soon to Squad. 

Canadian Armed Forces mark Offworld’s first step towards including community created content into Squad’s base game. This free expansion adds additional weapons, vehicles, and more, giving one of the world’s most well known armies some well-deserved spotlight. Additionally, the update includes two Canadian maps, Quebec and Nanisivik, featuring snowy environments built for intense combined-arms combat. 

Showcasing what Squad’s new modding SDK can do is Space Crew -- a total conversion mod inspired by classic sci-fi thrillers. Players take the role of a Survivor who must work carefully with their team to solve puzzles and survive. Make a wrong move, and they’ll become prey to a menacing creature known only as the Raptor. Space Crew is available to play later today by subscribing on the Steam Workshop or joining a server running the mod.

“We knew the moment we saw Canadian Armed Forces that it was going to be something special. It was only natural for us to reach out and give them the support they needed to continue creating quality work,” Dustin Ross, Director of Customer Experience at Offworld Industries. “Offworld Industries lives and dies by our community so we want to ensure they have the tools they need to succeed. With the launch of Modding 2.0, we’re positive Canadian Armed Forces will be the first of many great community projects we will incorporate into Squad." 

Squad is currently available on Steam Early Access for $39.99

Squad seeks to establish a culture of camaraderie that is unparalleled in competitive multiplayer shooters. This is a game where you can work together and coordinate with your team: players from around the world, often that you just met.

Squad will support up to 100 players in competitive multiplayer. This broad scope serves to immerse the player into a rich battle environment filled with challenges and opportunities. With teams of sufficient size, some players can perform supporting roles while leaving enough front-line combatants to provide fun and challenging gameplay across the full expanse of the battlefield.

A wide variety of support vehicles and aircraft will be included. Tanks and close support helicopters will spearhead a team’s assault into enemy lines while transport helicopters and APCs will provide much needed logistics and transportation support.

Commanders and squad leaders will be given the ability to shape the battlefield through construction of defensive and offensive fortifications as well as control of battlefield planning and supplemental combined arms assets. Coupled with this, spawn dynamics will be affected by occupation of territories and level of supply each objective is receiving. Organized control of the battlefield will ensure a properly supported supply structure and pave the way for a strategic victory.

It’s all about teamwork.

Key Features:

• Massive Online 50 vs 50 Squad-Based Combined Arms Warfare
• Large scale maps up to 8km^2. (currently working with 2km and 4km maps)
• Organic and Emergent Gameplay, this won’t be a linear shooter
• Maps based on Geographic Information System satellite data of real world locales
• True First Person (aka ‘body awareness’) character models, there won’t be walking gunheads here. High quality models and complex animations systems.
• Built in Voice Over IP using the best codecs available, with attenuated localized, intra-squad radio, and inter-squad command radio communications.
• Simulated damage models and simulated ballistics
• NO grinding rewards system and no dress up dolls
• Showcase Deployables and Base Building which no other military FPS has.
• Real world current time period armaments using highly accurate modelling
• Teamwork oriented gameplay that doesn't require a clan or private server to fully realize the potential of the gameplay.
• The creation, defense, destruction and resupply of chained spawn positions in an overlapping and always fluid emergent chessboard designed in our maps.
• A very open development team with excellent community communication, and preparations in progress for mod support near retail release.
• Essentially an "everything" game. Infantry/Logistics/Air Combat/CAS/Armor Warfare

Squad is currently available on Steam Early Access for $39.99